The War in the Pacific

1. The War in the Pacific

2. Changing Gears… • The war with Japan began on December 8, 1941 • In the months that followed Pearl Harbor Japan began to the take control of surrounding territories. • At this time Japan had approximately 200,000 men. Why were these men so successful with their territorial endeavors on their home front?

3. The United States strikes Back • It took six months for the United States to rebuild its naval forces in the Pacific. • The Battle of the Coral Sea • The Battle of Midway • “Island Hopping” was the most common strategy of the US Navy and Marines during 1942-1944 in the Pacific • The Battle of the Philippine Sea

4. The struggle for the Philippians • The battles of the Philippians Sea and Leyte Gulf. • Marines take on Iwo Jima • By the end of 1944 the Philippians were free of Japanese control but a high price.

5. Easter 1945 • The Battle of Okinawa • This invasion was the biggest attempted by the Untied States • To counter the Japanese used pilots on suicide missions • By the end of the encounter more American soldiers had lost their lives at Okinawa than at the beaches at Normandy.

6. The end is near • With the War in Europe ended the allies focused its remaining strength on Japan. • With the capture of Guam, American bombers were no able to reach the main land of Japan and bomb major cities and cause mass destruction to the cities • With the war not ending soon enough President Truman would soon have to make the decisive decision of the War in the Pacific… • Whether or not to Drop the Atomic Bomb

7. The Atomic Bombs • The first of two Atomic Bombs was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. • The Second was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 • Five days later Japan surrendered to the United States